The New York Historical Presents Stirring the Melting Pot: Photographs from The New York Historical Collections, Exploring Memory, Identity, and Community

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Episode Transcript

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On view November 28th, 2025 to March 29th, 2026.
This fall, The New York Historical Presence, a new
exhibition that explores themes of memory, identity, and
community. Stirring the Melting Pot
Photographs from the New York Historical Collections examines

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the immigrant experience in New York City through the lens of
photography. The exhibition is on view
November 28th, 2025 to March 29th, 2026.
New York has always been a city of immigrants, and the
photographs on view in Stirring the Melting Pot tell the story

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of resilience, identity and belonging across generations,
said Doctor Louise Murray, President and CEO of the New
York Historical. Through candid moments, the
images reveal how individuals and families both preserved
their heritage and transformed the city itself, creating
community along the way. Curated by Valerie Paley, senior

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vice president, and Sue and Weinberg, director of the
Patricia D Klingenstein Library,and curatorial scholar Karen Van
Horen, Stirring the Melting Pot offers an intimate portrait of
the everyday lives of New Yorkers from across the globe
who made a unique mark on the cityscape.
Drawn from the vast holdings of the Patricia D Klingenstein

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Library, the exhibition featuresmore than 100 photographs and
objects that capture how generations of immigrants have
shaped and been shaped by the city they came to call home.
Spanning the 20th century, the photographs and select objects
showcase children at play and inclassrooms, seniors at
recreational centers, workers insweatshops and factories,

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families gathered at home, and celebrants at parades and
festivals, together forming A vivid visual record of
adaptation and community building.
Additional highlights include poignant photographs documenting
the impact of the 19 O four General Slocum Steamboat
disaster on one family, underscoring how tragedy

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reshaped both immigrant communities and city
neighborhoods. The exhibition also explores the
myriad cultural and religious expressions in New York City,
with depictions of Greek Orthodox churches, Cambodian
Buddhist temples, Jewish synagogues, and Sikh temples
that reflect the city S rich spiritual tapestry.

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Support exhibitions at the New York Historical are made
possible by Doctor Agnes Hsu Tang and Oscar Tang, the
Saunders Trust for American History, the Evelyn and Seymour
Newman Fund, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs
in partnership with the City Council and the New York State

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Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the
Governor and the New York State Legislature.
Wnet is the media sponsor. About the New York Historical
New York S 1st Museum The New York Historical is a leading
cultural institution covering over 400 years of American

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history are offering spend groundbreaking exhibitions,
peerless collections of art, documents and artifacts,
acclaimed educational programs for teachers and students
nationwide, and thought provoking conversations among
leading scholars, journalists, and thinkers about the past,
present, and future of the American experiment.

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The New York Historical is a Museum of museums and a
collection of collections. We are home to the Patricia D
Klingenstein Library, the Centerfor Women S History, the
Demented Children S History Museum, and the Future American
LGBTQ Plus Museum. We elevate the perspectives and

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scholarship that define the United States Democratic
heritage and challenge us all toshape our ongoing history for
the better. Connect with us at
newyorkhistory.org or at Aetna History on Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram, Tiktok, YouTube and Tumblr.